Construction Continues on the Future Whitney

Dec 10, 2013

As construction of the Whitney Museum’s future home enters its final year, focus is shifting from structural components to interiors, with work beginning on the gallery walls, staff offices, and the enclosure of the lobby.

A view of the Whitney’s future home from the West Side Highway, December 2013. Photograph by Nicolas Lemery Nantel

The new building viewed from the West Side Highway, December 2013. Photograph by Nicolas Lemery Nantel

A view of the building from the West Side Highway, December 2013. Photograph by Nicolas Lemery Nantel

A view of the building’s fifth-floor gallery, December 2013. Photograph by Nicolas Lemery Nantel

A view of the building looking southwest across the High Line, November 2013. Photograph by Timothy Schenck

Progress continues on the building’s exterior façade, November 2013. Photograph by Timothy Schenck

The glass enclosure of the building’s lobby and restaurant, November 2013. Photograph by Timothy Schenck

The exterior of the building’s black box theater, November 2013. Photograph by Timothy Schenck

Looking out from the Museum’s black box theater, November 2013. Photograph by Timothy Schenck

A view of the eighth-floor gallery skylights, facing the Hudson River, November 2013. Photograph by Timothy Schenck

This month, enormous, ribbon-like steel panels continue to be hoisted into place, completing the look of the building’s exterior façade. Their painted steel surfaces give the building a dynamic appearance as light changes throughout the course of the day. Fabricated specifically for the Whitney, these panels require a custom-built machine to secure them to the exterior.

View the video below to learn more about the installation process, and check back with Whitney Stories to follow along as progress continues.

Building the Future Whitney: Installing the Exterior Façade

The exterior façade of the future Whitney Museum is composed of enormous steel panels, which are hoisted into place using a custom-built machine. In this video, Kevin Schorn, Architect at Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and Christian Reek, Project Manager for Permasteelisa North America, discuss the installation process.

To activate closed captioning on this video, play the video.
A CC button will appear on the player controls, and will give you the option to display captions in English.
For more information, visit the accessibility page.